Hairdressing. Makeup Artistry. Fashion. Photography. Inspiration.

photography

Spring is finally here! Frocks of color, fields of blooms and creative bounty make you want to go outside and shake off those winter cabin blues.

One of the easiest ways to invite this new season into our lives, is not only wear it but to ingest it. What we take in into our body, mind and soul has a lasting effect on what we exude.

In this latest beauty editorial, I wanted to portray a quirky view of some interesting fruits and veggies and their health benefits. Working alongside Luis Martinez, a beauty photographer based in of Dallas, Texas, we moved the concept along. Beautiful Haley Halter courtesy of The Kim Dawson Agency was our canvas for the day. Calli Martin, the fashion stylist, seamlessly added fashion touches to synchronize every look.

We had a great time shopping for unusual fruits with texture and color. Plus we had a tasty snack after our photoshoot!

Here is Haley on the cover for 7Hues Magazine. Read along to see some cool benefits of each fruit plus inspirational uses of color and product.

First up, is the pomegranate. The most sensual of fruits, the pomegranate is a superfood power house. It has powerful antioxidants which help with aging, it helps with stomach disorders and helps with anemia.

Kiwano is a stunning fruit but it also helps fight off signs of aging, it helps reduce evidence of scars and aids in eye health. Extending the eyeliner shape elevated this look and made it avant garde. MAC Chromagraphic Liner in Geniune Orange was used for this piece.

Famous as a dip, the artichoke is best eaten without all the cream cheese. It helps lower bad cholesterol, has tons of fiber and prevents inflammation. I love working with creams around the eye are for fast and impactful color deposit. I used Makeup Firever Flash Palette to transition all these colors together.

This cool fruit is thought to have the highest concentration of vitamin A. The Korean Melon has carotenoids which give the skin it’s color. You can have beautiful glow and pigment to your skin by adding these to your diet. This artistic approach to color was achieved by layering colors, lightest to darkest, by running my finger back and forth on a dense synthetic fan brush loaded with varying hues of MAC Pro Performance HD Airbrush.

Dragonfruit is a superfood that is full of multiple benefits. It has phytonutrients like vitamin B and C, and good fatty acids to help with cholesterol.

Passion fruit explodes with flavor but it is loaded with antioxidants. It helps your skin and combats against free radicals (they cause aging). P.s. Eat the seeds for added fiber and protein. For an intense and saturated color block shadow, I used Danessa Myricks Color Fix in Tribe.

Starfruit is not only exotic looking but it is packed full of Vitamin C. It helps with your immune system and mood. A fun star accent was used in this scene using NYX Cosmetics Suede Matte Liner.

Lastly, Rambutan is a strange looking fruit but the inside is sweet like a grape. (Other than making earrings out it as we did with wardrobe stylist Calli Martin) it is good for anti aging, it helps with pregnancy dizzy spells, and boosts energy.

I hope that you enjoyed learning a bit more about these delicious and peculiar fruits and gift inspired by their color as much as we did!

Two words that make leaving my perfectly air conditioned home almost impossible. Makeup runs, hair falls, skin gets dehydrated and moodiness abounds.

Not all hope is lost though. Beauty can take a relaxed and non structural ease. A nonchalant feel is a good staple. If all else fails, you can always hang out by the pool for a couple of hours. Relaxation is key.

Dipping in and out of the pool feels amazing during the hot months but your hair and skin might not appreciate it as much. My current favorite hair and skin moisturizer is Leonor Greyl Huile Secret de Beaute Or. The smell is intoxicating and the lipids in this oil create a barrier against the elements without ever feeli g to greasy.

There seems to a bit of nostalgia in every generation. The Roaring Twenties alluded to the Belle Époque while Post WWII America desperately tried to garner glamour in a way we have yet to see again in my opinion.

Dressing was not only necessary but an ultimate form of manners. Polite society was coiffed, pressed, and polished. Everyone followed suit regardless of socioeconomic differences.

One of my favorite resources of inspiration is to refer to vintage and retro cosmetic ads. They offer a hyper feminine point of view to me.

During this mini series photographed by Roy Choudhury, I wanted to explore a color palette reminiscent of these images with slightly different placement. Our model, Mary Alexandra, offered a perfect canvas for this.

Subtle nuances in tone and structure take center stage on this beauty series featuring beautiful Regan Kemper courtesy of the Kim Dawson Agency. Photographed perfectly in black and white by Sergio Garcia, it shows the power of simplicity.

Graceful strokes of black, white and charcoal against a clean and bare faced Regan almost seem to melt into her visage.

Because we were photographing in black and white, I used carbon blacks and red to photograph as intense black and greys to create shade.

A mixture of Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk and soft hold hairspray was mixed into a paste and then brushed thru the fringe area to evoke moment, contrast and texture

A red lip liner was used to define the lips and create a sharp and moody pout.

Lastly, an interesting block graphic cream liner in black added a little flair. I used a small piece of gentle masking tape to ensure that edges were straight on such a movable surface.

Try it on your next photoshoot or selfie! Play around with colors and see how they look when photographed in black and white.

I personally love this time of year because the weather is on the verge of changing. There are cooler mornings and warmer days. It’s time to wear your favorite sweater for the last chance in a while.

With it comes along a laissez-faire attitude towards beauty as well. Undone and textured hair is perfect for spring. Tousled locks go perfectly with a statement color that matches your favorite bloom.

Teaming up with romantic photographer Morgan Chidsey and wardrobe stylist Britta Newton proved to be fun, easy, and fresh. We were able to work on a set with four models courtesy of The Dragonfly Agency and The Kim Dawson Agency. Chloe, Delaney, Christina, and Kalli all portrayed an cool and chic mood.

I used the same hair products throughout the series and challenged myself to see what it could do. I used a cocktail of Privé Vanishing Oil, Weightless Amplifier, and Finishing Texture Spray to add shine, heat protection, add bounce, and pliability.

I added the products to Kalli’s hair and roughly blowdried until dry. With a 1″ iron, I took vertical sections and alternated the curl making sure to not leave the hair for longer than 5 seconds. After releasing from the tongs, I immediately raked the curls with my fingers and tugged on each curl. I wanted texture not curl.

On Christina, I decided to take the same approach as I did on Kalli. I parted the hair with a weighty center part and decided to not alternate the direction of the waves for a more elongated and concise formation.

I followed the same pattern and product usage on Delaney to further test the fact that the same products and hair tools can yield slight variations. For Delaney, I opted to use a 1 1/2″ barrel iron which created a slight bend in the hair. Some of her outfit changes had high collars, so I wrapped the hair into a perfectly imperfect French roll.

I was amazed that using the same cocktail of products yielded such a different effect on Chloe. Her hair is very straight and is of medium texture. I decided to skip the curling iron and let her texture shine through.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the film. I loved how each model shines through and there is an even composition in colors and textures. The hairstyles and minimal makeup allow for each model to have subtle differences and stand alone as well as in a group.

I absolutely love working with models time and time again. I get to revisit their energy and face and appreciate nuances that I didn’t focus on the last time we worked together.

Such is the case with stunning Kelly. The last photo session I worked with her on featured more avant garde hair and shapes.

I teamed up with genius photographer Nicollette Mollet and created a quick set of minimalist images for Kelly’s portfolio this go around.

I began by prepping Kelly’s hair using Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray at the root and blow drying with my fingers. After it was dry, I layered another coat thru the midshaft and ends.

To add variety, I added a deep side part as inspired by my last bit of runway shows in New York for Autumn/Winter 2015. I added a bit of Bumble and Bumble Thickening Créme Contour to the hair after I warmed it up in my hands. This amplified the hair towards the ends but collapsed the volume at the scalp.

I love when spontaneous photoshoots happen. They allow a group of creatives to come together with no strings attached and the end goal of making a beautiful image.

We recently worked with Chris Ossenfort, a fabulous photographer here in Dallas, Texas. Our subject for the day was handsome Trevor Burchett, who also happens to be represented by The Campbell Agency.

We delved into several layers of a gentleman’s persona. Suave, relaxed, urban, and groomed.

Trevor’s hair is cut in an undercut with an extreme side part. His texture is on the coarse side with has great wave pattern to it. I decided to prep the hair with Bumble and Bumble Prep to encourage texture and prime it for product. I then diffused it on low heat and scrunched it with my fingers. I love this product because it shapes effortlessly. I then smoothed a bit of Privé Crème Coiffante to polish and hold.

Skincare for men is a big deal. Men don’t have the advantage of having a full makeup routine so in order to put the best face forward, we need to take care of our skin. My favorite moisturizer is Elemis Moisture Boost. It is very light and is full of natural ingredients such as Cactus Cerus Oil and Bamboo natamilk to soothe and protect skin.

Got a blemish or party too hard over the weekend? A pro concealer is great way to perfect your complexion. I know what you’re thinking. Makeup? On a guy? Yes! As long as you choose a correct formula that is in your skin tone and non visible. My favorite one to use is Estée Lauder Double Wear Brush On Concealer . You only need a dot of this product on already moisturized skin. Make sure you pat it in gently with your ring finger to ensure it is blended into the skin.